MAS: app rejected because of faulty receipt-validation

Beatrix_Willius · December 13, 2021, 6:00am

See How to build OpenSSL (libcrypto) and include it in a Xojo built app for libcrypto.

Beatrix_Willius · December 13, 2021, 6:01am

What is the result of receipt validation not working?

Sam_Rowlands · December 13, 2021, 6:03am

When you fail to validate the receipt you are supposed to exit the application with exitCode 173. This informs the macOS that receipt validation failed and it should then force a refresh of the receipt.

What I am seeing is that it is NOT refreshing the receipt, but App Store frameworks are writing a message to the console with a NIL parameter.

I can’t be sure with customers code, but in my own tests it is failing because there is no receipt file. Requesting the OS to refresh the receipt simply results in a onscreen message from the macOS that the application is corrupted and must be re-downloaded.

My code doesn’t even get to the point where it tries to read the receipt as it doesn’t even exist.

Edit: It will be at least tomorrow before I hear back from Cupertino and I don’t expect to get a result that day.

Carlo_Rubini · December 13, 2021, 6:39am

Thank you for supplying the link.

Unfortunatelly the link does not work.

Jürg Otter, please…

Beatrix_Willius · December 13, 2021, 6:45am

Works fine for me: https://www.jo-tools.ch/xojo/openssl-byo/

Thomas_Roemert · December 13, 2021, 7:18am

Hi Sam,

did you know when these problems started? My last (successful) submission to the MAS was on Dec., 3rd (and yet no complaints from customers about crashes), but at the end of November some customers had problems with corrupted receipt files (not missing, but corrupted). A re-download from MAS solved their problem.

At that time local testing a MAS App before submission to Apple started to fail (see: Unable to pre-test app for MAS)

Maybe the whole process at Apple is undergoing some significant changes under the hood…

Sam_Rowlands · December 13, 2021, 7:25am

I don’t know the exact date sorry. What I do know if that 3 or 4 weeks ago, I submitted two apps to the App Store and had no problem testing the receipt, as it’s part of my process before I submit for review.

Back in spring 2020 I bought a 16" MBP and couldn’t use it to test my App Store apps. After about two weeks, DTS confirmed there was a bug but not sure if it was within the macOS or the machine, so I sent it back and gave it a few months before buying again.

Thomas_Roemert · December 13, 2021, 7:26am

You can simply exchange

"/usr/lib/libcrypto.dylib"

with

"/usr/lib/libcrypto.35.dylib"

in AppStoreReceipt constructor. “/usr/lib/libcrypto.35.dylib” is fine for all current systems (from macOS 10.11 up to macOS 12).

Beatrix_Willius · December 13, 2021, 8:02am

No, this doesn’t work. There is no libcrypto in the folder on Monterey:

Sam_Rowlands · December 13, 2021, 8:08am

A lot of the libraries are there in the system, but for “security” they’re concleaded from prying eyes. I think it was Jeff Johnson who figured out how to see 'em.

I am still hopeful that Xojo will expose the functions we need from their own library, so we don’t need yet another copy of libcrypto in our apps.

Thomas_Roemert · December 13, 2021, 8:27am

Even if you don’t see the library, it is working fine - I am working on Monterey

Beatrix_Willius · December 13, 2021, 8:56am

Well, the library didn’t work for me. I don’t remember the exact error. It was like “don’t talk to me”.

Thomas_Roemert · December 13, 2021, 9:43am

I am using it in all of my apps, MAS and non-MAS, supporting macOS 10.11 up to macOS 12 without any problems.
Maybe you use functions not present in this version - .35 is not really “up-to-date”

Carlo_Rubini · December 13, 2021, 9:53am

Hi Thomas,
I made the changes in constructor (5 instances), but unfortunatelly I still get the funcky message (app corrupted etc.).
Using BugSur.

Sergio_Tamborini · December 13, 2021, 9:55am

I solved the same problem… See Thread Codesign for mac app store error - #6 by Sergio_Tamborini

I solved (after months) dropping all certificates and generates again. @Sam_Rowlands helped me with the Apple authority certificate and he’s near to release the new AppWrapper version that fix a privileges certificates on the newer MacOs.

Anyway keep in mind that the appstore validation code must be executed before all in the open event in the app…

Hope this is helpful.

Carlo_Rubini · December 13, 2021, 10:02am

Yes, I generated my certificates and wrapped the app with v4.4.
Problem persists.

Sam_Rowlands · December 13, 2021, 10:05am

Ciao Sergio,
I believe what (I at least) am seeing is different to the issue you experienced, which we solved together as I wouldn’t have gotten there without your help.

Thomas_Roemert · December 13, 2021, 10:14am

The “App corrupted” message is another problem - it has IMO nothing to do with the “libcrypto.dylib” changes. These are neccesary to prevent a rejection of the app in review process - due to a crash.

Sam_Rowlands · December 13, 2021, 10:14am

In summary I just want to clarify what the problem I am experiencing is.

App tries to read the receipt at the path given by NSBundle_appStoreReceiptURL( NSBundle_mainBundle( NSBundleClass ) )
Because there’s no file there, the app exits with code 173 (as it should).
The system is supposed to then generate the receipt at the location and re-launch the application.
but it doesn’t. It writes some error messages to the console, then displays the error message that the application is corrupted.
Re-launch the application and go to 1.

The application is already on the Mac App Store with the same bundle id, I have logged out and back in the sandbox user, I have validated that the application is in the "Applications’ folder. I have validated that the Sandbox tester is using the same locale as my main account. I have rebooted.

Carlo_Rubini · December 13, 2021, 11:20pm

Sorry for the delay in answering.

But here the link still doesn’t work.